$100 a barrel oil by 2007?
 

So I'm watching CNBC this morning and this fellow was on there blabbering how oil will be over $100 by 2007 saying it's the end, Armageddon, Blah Blah Blah. I've read more intelligent people than myself (there are alot of those:laugh: ) say it's bad in that the economy will go in the toilet and some others say it's good because people will have to change their habits. I guess I tend to fall in the latter camp. But what the hell do I know?:laugh:

I heard that the supposed 'oil shortage' is just a big conspiracy for oil companies to hike up the prices of their oil :shrug:

I wouldnt be surprised if you're right.

Yeah, I don't know what to think. My house uses oil for heat and I'm trying to decide if I should lock in a price now, wait a month until things (hopefully) settle down, or what.

Sure it would be a good thing if the high prices get people with disposible income to change their habits, but we don't really fall into the "disposible income" camp right now. So we just keep stocking up on firewood and blankets. :shrug:

Well, I've mentioned this before, but living here in Minneapolis we have an axcellent transportation system, with buses, light rail and the like. City living with no car has definitely been on my mind lately, though not seriously yet.

Well, I'm a suburban girl so I need my car. Fortunately, both my husband and I work less than a half hour from home so our gas use, while still painful on fill-up days, is still pretty minimal...and getting more minimal all the time. I decided today that something I sold on Ebay on Sunday is going to have to wait until tomorrow to mail because I don't want to make a trip out just to go to the post office when I will pass a post office on the way to work tomorrow.

You live near Kansas City right?

Philadelphia

I'm sorry. I dont know what gave me that idea. I mustve been thinking of Janet. My apologies. But anyway, it's something to think about for sure. Here it's 2.98 now. what is it there?

No big. :laugh:

Heating oil or gas? Heating oil I last checked was about $2.89/gal. Unleaded gas is over somewhere around $3.05 I think, with the higher grades, of course, being more. I'm starting to consider getting a little motorcycle and saving the car for group outings on weekends!

I've taken the subway there in Philly, and as I recall, it wasnt too bad. not alot of graffiti and stuff.

it's $2.89 here too...it sucks...I'm carpooling for the first time in like 10 years (since high school) to save money

That's too bad. You are near Jackson, right?

right. Jackson doesn't really have suburbs, I live just across the Jackson line to save on taxes.

I'm guessing their public transport system isnt the best. See that's the rub here. For someone like me that lives in a major metropolitan area, I could make the choice to give up my car and I could adapt pretty easily. But for others that's not the case.

oh no.

and you have to pretty much live downtown or in the downtown area for the buses to even come by.

That sucks. I'll resist the temptation for the Mississippi jokes though.:laugh:

And I got rid of my woodstove, for a gas one(with remote control!).:confused:
I'm torn too on the locking in thing. Last year, I bought 2 tanks of gas(I'm in the country, on LP gas) at $1.35 gallon(which we could book up until Sept). I called yesterday, and it's $1.55, and MUST be purchased by 7/31.
And July's REALLY slow, moneywise for me, BUT, they told my that they see this being a terrible winter, pricewise(maybe over $2/gal), sooooo, I'm off to book at least one tank on my credit card.
I usually keep it pretty cold in here in the winter, but it's REALLY gonna be cold this winter.:shocked: :shocked: :shocked:

Is it good that people are changing their habits? Of course it is- but it's BAD that it's happening so quickly. Gas prices have tripled over the last ten years and my disposable income has certainly NOT. The price hike has come too fast to do anything but harm consumers- if it was more of a gradual change, with people given more time and more options to come up with solutions to lower gas consumption and save money, it'd be fine.

Most people don't live in areas where public transportation is accessible or a viable option. In order to change their gas consumption, their lives have to be uprooted- move to an area closer to your job or school or find a job or school that's closer to your home, buy a new vehicle that's more efficient, cut down on things like extracurricular activities for you or your kids, etc. This isn't something that can be done overnight by ANYBODY, and no one's paycheck is being doubled overnight either. Change is good- but it needs to be gradual, not these steep overnight hikes.

In an ideal world, I'd live in the city of Chicago again, where I could efficiently get around via the excellent CTA to whatever job, school, errand, etc. I need to get to. But I can't- I cannot afford the higher housing costs, the higher taxes (property, sales tax, etc), the high city fees (parking, vehicle stickers, even pet licenses are out of control), the more expensive goods, and the $8.00 a day in CTA fees to get to my suburban job. It all balances out. Cheaper places to live, more money on gas. More expensive places to live, less money on gas. Etc.

I honestly wonder how much of it is "f*ck 'em, they'llkeep buying." I mean really, we will keep buying. Gas is something I need, not something I want. I'm in the burbs too, and public transport is close to impossible from where I am to where I need to be. :(

I think it's A-LOT of it and someday what is really going on will come out. It usually does. I'm not usually a big conspiracy theorist but record profits + record prices = something shady is going on. :nod: